


Hazelnut Lattes

by simpnaps



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Barista!Karl, Caffeine Addiction, College student!Sapnap, First Meetings, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28379781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpnaps/pseuds/simpnaps
Summary: The first time the guy came into the coffee shop, he didn't even make eye contact with Karl. The second time, he was dragging along a guy in a bright green sweatshirt. The third, he gave Karl a fake name, and yet Karl was halfway in love before he walked out the door.(Seriously, what kinda name is Sapnap anyway?)
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 80
Kudos: 1479





	Hazelnut Lattes

The first time the guy came into the store, he didn’t even make eye contact with Karl. 

It was pretty late in the morning, ten going on eleven, and Quackity decided to take his break, having been making drinks since five. Karl, who had only been doing the register, said he could handle covering both for ten minutes, and Quackity thanked him before running off to the back. 

He had two minutes with no customers, just lazily watching those already in the store, sitting at their respected tables and booths - they were just outside a college campus, so they got a bunch of college kids always working there, claiming that it helped their vibes. The type who claimed Starbucks was overrated, yet then got the same thing they would there at the tiny shop, paying two dollars more for it. 

Karl could complain about the price. He worked there, he didn’t own it. 

The door jingled, and a guy walked in. He looked to be a college student, hood up and hands shoved in the front pocket of his sweatshirt. He looked tired, but also a bit like he was going to rob the place. 

“Hi, welcome to Elm Coffee, what can I get started for ya?” Karl chirped happily, as usual. He didn’t want to brag, but he was voted “most friendly” by his coworkers for three months in a row. He took that title as the honor it was, and vowed to always be nice, no matter what (the what became difficult, when dealing with college students, sometimes - last month, Karl got his shifts covered for all of the college’s finals week, because he almost had three different hot coffees thrown on him in one shift alone). 

“Latte. Medium.” The guy said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket, not even looking up at Karl, or the menu. 

“Hot or iced?” Karl said, punching it in. 

“Hot.” 

“Alright, got it, anything else?” Karl said, looking up from the register with a grin. The guy didn’t look up, and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“My friend wants an… iced hazelnut latte, with oat milk. Medium, too.” 

Karl held back a laugh, and punched that in as well. It was funny to see someone obviously trying so hard to look so out of place in a small, hipster-esque coffee shop order a hazelnut latte. There was nothing wrong with hazelnut lattes, more of a Christmas drink in Karl’s humble opinion, but whatever floats this guy’s friend’s boat. And seeing this guy attempt to order one was very humorous. 

“Okay, your total is ten twenty two,” Karl said, and the guy handed him a twenty without hesitation. Up close, he just looked… normal. Tired. He had the typical college student eye bags, posture that reminded Karl of the lowercase letter r, and hair that, under the hoodie, looked unruly and probably a bit greasy. Giving back the change, he tried once more to flash a grin at the other, chirping, “you’re drinks will be out at the end of the counter!” but the guy didn’t even look up, instead just shoving the change away and stalking over to the other end of the counter, staring at his feet adamantly, not even saying thank you. 

Okay then. Not a talker. 

\--

The second time he came into the store, Karl didn’t even recognize him. 

He was making drinks, with Wilbur on the register, and lost in his own head as he made some frappes for two girls, who giggled as he slid the sugary concoctions over to them, when the door again chimed, and in walked the same guy, wearing jeans and a college crewneck, but Karl didn’t even notice him from his first less-than-polite encounter. He was also with someone else - a taller, lean blonde man wearing an obnoxious green hoodie - and Karl was more focused on how awful the other guy’s hoodie was, so he didn’t connect the dots until they ordered. 

“I’ll have just a medium iced latte, and my friend’ll have…” the guy in the green hoodie prompted, nudging his friend who, despite looking a lot more put together in general, definitely still looked like he felt extremely out of place, hands in jeans pockets and shoulders just a bit hunched. Karl cleaned off the blender he had used for the order before, ready to start the next two. 

“Uh, a medium hazelnut latte. With oat milk.” 

Karl didn’t remember orders very easily, unless it was a regular, or a very weird order. In this case, the original order had stuck out to him - the comedic value of what was a Disney Channel depiction of a “cool sports guy” ordering a hazelnut latte with oat milk wasn’t lost on Karl then, and again wasn’t the second time around. When he heard the quiet order, he snapped his head up, glad to be out of the way of the two ordering as to not draw attention to his surprise as he took in the guy’s appearance for the second time. He looked less like a typical sports guy, now just a regular guy that Karl really wouldn’t give a second glance to on the street, crew neck and jeans a fitting yet boring outfit that wouldn’t have caught Karl’s attention. 

But the drink. 

He had assumed, during the first order, that the drink had been for his friend, or a coworker, or even a girlfriend, but now, hearing it so obviously for him, his mind filtered a bit. Someone who dressed as plainly as this guy definitely isn’t one to have such a… not complicated, but definitely a step up from normal coffee order. 

He chuckled to himself, beginning to make the drinks. The two, having paid with Wilbur, came and stood closer to him, at his end of the counter, and were chatting amiably, and Karl, for what it was worth, did debate starting up a conversation. It was a slow day in the store, only one person even sitting in, so he wouldn’t be unheard. But his anxiety got the better of him, and only minutes later he was sliding the drinks across the counter to them both with a grin. 

“Have a good day,” Karl said, smiling as genuinely as he could. 

“Thank you!” The guy in the green sweatshirt chirped as they both took their respected drinks. 

The other - the hazelnut latte guy - didn’t say anything. Again. 

Alright. 

\--

The third time he came in, Karl actually sorta talked to him. 

He came in, wearing yet another sweatshirt (does he not wear anything else?), during a rush, as both Wilbur and Quackity were working on drinks as Karl worked the register. He didn’t see the guy until he was in front of him ordering. 

“Hi, what can I get you?” Karl said, hoping the other wouldn’t pick up on the weird lilt in his voice when he looked up and instantly recognized the other. His hair looked damp - like he just took a shower, curling at the ends. The alerts in his head were blaring “cute boy cute boy cute boy” so loud, Karl wasn’t sure he would be able to hear the guy talk. 

“Medium hazelnut latte, with oat milk,” the guy said, already pulling out his wallet. 

“Alright, that’s six ninety two. Can I get a name?” Karl said, grabbing a cup to scribble on. It was easier, when they had a lot of orders, to get names so someone didn’t take a drink that wasn’t theirs. He hoped his hands weren’t shaking noticeably, and that was just in Karl’s own head. 

“Uh, Sapnap,” the guy said, pulling out the money. 

“Sa - what?” Karl said, taken aback by the name. The guy looked uncomfortable, clearing his throat. 

“Sapnap,” he said again, a bit more strained, like he was regretting his life choices right there across the counter from Karl. “S-a-p-n-a-p.” 

“That’s… alright,” Karl said, the store door chiming as two more people entered, joining the line, and Karl couldn’t dwell on it. He took Sapnap’s money, quickly getting the change back, and setting the cup down in the line for Wilbur and Quackity. “Here’s your change, your drink will be at the end.” 

“...Thank you,” the guy said, and it sounded clipped, almost forced. He walked, head down, towards the other end with the small group waiting. Karl couldn’t even dwell on it, waving the next guy forward with a smile. 

It wouldn’t be until the rush ended and he took his break an hour later, where he would sit on a chair in the back room and kick his feet up on the table, where he really thought about it, staring at the whiteboard schedule on the wall and mumbling, “Sapnap,” under his breath. So obviously a fake name, that Karl wanted to slam his head against the wall. What the hell even was a Sapnap? 

\--

When he started his shift, the guy was already there, sitting at a booth and sipping his drink. Karl bet he could guess what was in it. 

“See you next week, Jacobs,” Quackity called as he left from the back, through the stores. 

“Bye,” Karl called mindlessly, wiping down the counter and checking the machines. He noticed Hazelnut Latte Guy - Karl refused to believe that his name was legitimately Sapnap, because that would be utterly ridiculous - glance up at him for a second, before turning back to his textbook in front of him. The door chimed, and Karl looked over to see Wilbur walking in with his little brother. “Hey, Will. Isn’t today your day off?” 

“Tommy needs caffeine or he will die,” Wilbur said, and Tommy, bouncing on his heels next to Wilbur, smiled. 

“What’s up, Tommy. How’s school?” Karl asked, leaning on the counter and looking - up - at the teenager. He was only sixteen, and six foot three. Karl, a measly five eleven, didn’t think someone as chaotic as Tommy should have the power of towering over most people, but whatever. Wilbur was still taller, so it made up for it. 

“It’s alright,” Tommy said. “Iced coffee with cream. Whatever the biggest size is.” 

Karl went to make it as Wilbur hit Tommy’s head. “Jesus, be polite.” 

Tommy just laughed, loud and obnoxious, and again, Karl saw Hazelnut Latte Guy glance up from the booth. He was the only other one in the store, so the laugh felt even louder. Karl poured out their iced coffee, and poured some cream in, quickly sliding it over to Tommy as Wilbur checked something in the back. “Here.” 

“Poggers,” Tommy mumbled, taking a big sip, practically vibrating. 

“Here, Karl,” Wilbur said as he came back out, holding out a five. Karl shook his head. 

“Didn’t punch it in. Don’t tell Phil, and I won’t either.” 

Wilbur nodded happily, slipping the money away in his wallet. “We gotta get going, Tommy needs some stuff for school. Are you closing alone?” 

Karl nodded, setting the creamer back in its place, meticulously. Wilbur nodded blankly. 

“Want me to stop by to bring you something to eat? We probably won’t be done until around six anyway, and heading back this way,” Wilbur volunteered, and Karl shrugged. 

“If you want, I wouldn’t mind. But I’ll probably be fine either way, we close at eight.” 

“I’ll text you where we end up going,” Wilbur smiled, patting Karl’s shoulders, then shoving Tommy towards the door. “See ya!” 

With that, the door chimed again, and it was only Karl and Hazelnut Latte Guy left, one of which was glaring at a textbook angrily, like he was about to rip it apart. Karl wiped the counter down again, suddenly nervous for no reason. Usually he was good at small talk, good at staying friendly with customers, especially when they were sitting in the shop. But something about this guy was… different. Karl wasn’t sure if it was because virtually every interaction they’ve had the guy has been an asshole, or something else completely. Either way, Karl’s hands felt extremely shaky as he stole quick glances at the guy across the counter. 

He took a deep breath. It was his job to be nice. He was good at it. It was just a guy. The worst would be him being rude, and Karl hiding in the back until he heard the door. Which wasn’t that bad. He was just some random customer. Nothing to have a panic attack over. Karl leaned on the counter, wringing a towel through his fingers, hoping that covered their shakiness. 

“Uh, can I get you another drink?” He asked, voice cracking just the slightest bit. Hazelnut Latte Guy looked up in surprise, then down at his coffee. 

“Uh, no, I just got here, like, twenty minutes ago,” he said, and Karl nodded quickly. 

“Oh, right, sorry. Just… lemme know if you need anything,” he said, going for a happy grin, but knew it came out funky judging the weird look on the other’s face, who glanced down, nodding back. 

“Thank you,” he said, and Karl nodded, though Hazelnut Latte Guy couldn’t even see him. 

There were a few minutes of what Karl considered awkward silence, as Hazelnut Latte Guy stared at one single page of his textbook, never flipping the page (it wasn’t like Karl was paying attention or anything), and Karl resolutely at the coffee machines, before the former lifted his head again, looking over with furrowed brows. 

“Do you work, just, like, everyday?” He asked, and Karl looked up in confusion. Hazelnut Latte Guy waved a hand, gesturing to the counter, as he hurried to explain. “I mean, I’ve only come here a coupl’a times, but everytime I do, you’re working. I was kinda surprised when I came in and you weren’t here, then, like, ten minutes later… in you come.” 

Karl chuckled. He knew that he worked the most out of everyone, but he was glad he wasn’t the only one who picked up on the weirdness of seeing Hazelnut Latte Guy so much. “Not everyday, but more than most here. I’m a manager, so I’m constantly picking up shifts.” 

“Are you… are you a student?” Hazelnut Latte Guy asked, and he sounded forced as he spoke, like someone was holding an invisible gun to his head and forcing him to make small talk with Karl, who fiddled with his apron, covered in pins. He twisted his pride pin around, definitely not trying to subtly hint about anything about himself at all. 

“No, I graduated last year. But I’ve worked here since my sophomore year. You are, right?” Karl said, pointing at the book. Hazelnut Latte Guy nodded, looking down in remembrance that he was actually doing work before they started chatting. Would you count this as a chat? It felt more like… rapid fire small talk that Hazelnut Latte Guy was forced into, despite also being the one to initiate conversation. 

“Yeah, I’m a sophomore now, actually,” he said, and Karl nodded, playing with the towel again, running it through his fingers absently. He noticed Hazelnut Latte Guy look at it, watching his hands intensely, before shooting back to his face. Karl wasn’t going to read into that. He really wasn’t. 

“What’re you studying?” Karl asked, leaning his elbows on the counter. He was wearing a button down that he had rolled up the sleeves of to just above his elbows, glad to have them out of his way. 

“Computer science,” Hazelnut Latte Guy said, a bit of confidence leaking into his voice, and Karl nodded. 

“Is that, like, coding and stuff?” Karl asked, and the other nodded, launching into a brief explanation about what he was studying that Karl, frankly, didn’t follow. He just watched the other ramble, nodding along absently for at least a whole minute, eyes flicking over his face, from his warm eyes to his lips to his slightly flushed cheeks. He took in his outfit then, seemingly his signature look, a sweatshirt and jeans, along with sneakers that were so white they made Karl a little uncomfortable. How someone kept sneakers that white, he would never know. He glanced down absently to his Docs, which he had had since freshman year of college. They were now completely scuffed, looking as if he had just survived war, just from the sheer use of them. That, matched with his black jeans and patterned sweater, Karl felt comfortable in his look - dressed what he considered nice, put at least a bit of effort into it, and happy wearing what he did. Nothing wrong with sweatshirts and jeans every single day, Karl knew what it was like to be a college sophomore, but… if Hazelnut Latte Guy put a bit more effort into his appearance, his attire, he would be leagues more attractive. Not that he wasn’t already, Karl thought blankly, watching his eyes flick from his book back to Karl, something mixed deep in them, an emotion he couldn’t pin down on the stranger from across a countertop. 

“I’m hoping one day to get to, like, design my own video games and stuff,” Hazelnut Latte Guy finished his ramble with a small, awkward smile, and Karl nodded intensely to indicate he was, in fact, listening, and definitely not thinking about what the other would look the best in, clothing wise (Karl was leaning towards light button down, with his hair properly brushed). 

“That’s really cool,” Karl said, and Hazelnut Latte Guy shrugged, biting his lip. Karl bit his tongue to stop himself from loudly clearing his throat just at that gesture. 

“Yeah,” Hazelnut Latte Guy said, quietly, and before Karl could think of how to respond to that, the door chimed, and a group of five college students, all loud and with backpacks, came storming in. Hazelnut Latte Guy looked surprised by the interruption, and Karl set down the towel, straightening up. 

“I’ll, uh, let you get back to it,” Karl said, gesturing at the book, and turning to the girls before the other could respond. “Hi, welcome in ladies! What can I get started for you all today?”

They didn’t get another moment to speak, as Karl had to clean multiple machines, and kept getting people coming in after that. Two hours later, when he finally had a break in work, and quickly texted Wilbur what he wanted from the place he and Tommy were going to, he looked up to see Hazelnut Latte Guy packing up his stuff, slipping his backpack on, and leaving without so much as a wave, or even a glance, in Karl’s direction. 

It didn’t sting. Definitely not. 

\--

The coffeeshop, for its independence and slight distance from the school, was sort of a hang out spot on the weekends. 

On Saturday nights, the coffeeshop hosted an open mic, where a lot of college bands, small independent artists from the city, and tiny travelling musicians liked to play. It was usually the same sort of relative crowd, all crowded into the small coffeeshop - groups shoved haphazardly into booths as they swayed to the calming music, couples dancing quietly to themselves near the back of the shop, by the makeshift “stage”. 

Karl loved working Saturday nights - it was such a calming time, despite the crowds. He loved listening to the music, hearing and speaking to artists from both the city and the country, seeing college students live out their best “movie moments” as they listened, and Phil always paid him overtime because more often than not he was working alone, since Quackity always went home to his parent’s house on the weekends, and Wilbur was usually performing for part of the night. The rest of the workers, all college students, wouldn’t dare give up their Saturday nights to listen to a bunch of hipsters, so that left Karl, swaying behind the counter and making drinks by himself. 

This Saturday was a bit different than most - Wilbur was the only one performing. Karl had set up Phil, Tommy, and Tubbo, Tommy’s best friend, in a booth nearest to the stage, and let them be, Tommy sipping yet another coffee, and Tubbo with a hot chocolate. They looked out of place, amongst the sea of college students and twenty somethings all milling around, like it was a fancy dinner party and everyone was in ball gowns that cost more than average rent, when in fact half the crowd was in sweatpants. But Karl played it up alongside them - making up fancy sounding drinks on the spot when people asked what he recommended. It was fun for him, fun for the guests, so it was a win-win. 

About five minutes before Will was supposed to go on stage, the place was mostly full, no tables available, but people milling around happily, not too crowded or overrun, but a happy medium, a buzz of noise, loud but pleasant. Karl leaned back for a second, no drinks to make, scanning the crowd with ease, before the door chimed, barely heard over the hum. 

Hazelnut Latte Guy, with two guys in tow, stepped into the small coffee shop, glancing around awkwardly. One of the guys Karl recognized as the same guy from the second time Hazelnut Latte Guy had come, where he had worn a horrible green sweatshirt. The other guy Karl didn’t recognize, shorter than the other two and holding the taller’s hand as he glanced around, before saying something to Hazelnut Latte Guy. 

“Why’s the place so packed?” Hazelnut Latte Guy said to Karl as they got up to the counter, where Karl was cleaning a machine. 

“We have open mic on Saturdays. Today, one of our employees is performing, though, and usually a lotta people show up, since they know him,” Karl said, gesturing to Will, who had just gotten onstage to sparse applause, beginning to set up his things. Tommy booed, loudly, from his booth, before being swatted by Phil, making a few people in the room who knew Tommy chuckle lightly. 

“Oh,” Hazelnut Latte Guy said, and the taller guy, no longer wearing the horrible green sweatshirt but instead just a plain t-shirt, chuckled. 

“Can we still get drinks?” he asked, and Karl nodded, waving them over towards the register. 

The tall guy and the short one ordered, saying their names were “Dream” - what is with these friends and weird ass names? - and George, but Hazelnut Latte Guy stepped away, towards the end of the counter. 

“Does he want anything?” Karl asked awkwardly, pointing to him as he watched Wilbur do a mic check quickly then begin happily addressing the crowd. 

“Nah, don’t think so,” George said, and Karl took the money, giving them their change. 

Wilbur began playing, a soft, yet upbeat melody, and Karl moved to make the drinks. As he made “Dream’s”, just a regular iced latte, he looked up to see Hazelnut Latte Guy quietly swaying to the music, as his two friends stood next to him talking quietly to themselves. He watched Hazelnut Latte Guy watch Wilbur, looking almost encapsulated by the soft beat, eyes wide and mesmerized. 

It was honestly beautiful. Karl finished the first, and moved onto the second, eyes still flicking up to watch Hazelnut Latte Guy sway, before finishing the latte off with whip. 

Hazelnut Latte Guy looked over then, still looking entranced, and he and Karl made direct eye contact. Karl quickly dropped his gaze to the drink, and he realized then that he had made a hazelnut latte. The guy hadn’t ordered a hazelnut latte. He ordered an iced macchiato. Karl grimaced, picking up the drink, and staring at it for a second, then glancing back up at Hazelnut Latte Guy, who was still watching him. 

Karl wasn’t one to “fall in love” at first glance, and even then, this was hardly the first glance. He thought back to the first two interactions, the other’s brush off the shoulder, cold response to anything Karl said. The trying so hard to look like he didn’t belong, to make himself look uncomfortable. The ordering the same goddamn drink every single time he came in - a hazelnut latte with oat milk. Medium. The small, some would say mediocre conversation they had only a couple days prior. Everything about him was so average, interactions Karl had on the daily at his job, so why the hell this guy, with the weird ass name Karl didn’t even remember now out of spite for getting a fake name, and his stupid fluffy hair, and his dumb serious look almost perpetually on his face, have such a goddamn impact on Karl? 

He made the drink he was supposed to make, and called out their names. He slid all three over to the two, Hazelnut Latte Guy staying back. 

“Give this to… your friend,” he said, pushing the only hot drink towards the shorter one, George. George looked like he was going to say something, but Dream swooped in and grabbed it, smiling kindly to Karl, saying thank you. 

Karl pretended to be busy cleaning as he watched Dream take it over to Hazelnut Latte Guy, who squinted at it, then up at Karl, then back at the drink, taking a small sip, before walking up to the counter, leaving his friends snickering behind him. 

“Lemme pay you,” he said insistently, and Karl shook his head. 

“Nah, it was my fault, I made it by accident,” Karl insisted, holding his hands up in mock surrender. 

“You ‘accidentally’ made my drink?” He asked incredulously, and Karl shrugged, looking down. 

“Call it interest. Take the free drink, come back, and buy your next one,” Karl said, staring at his scuffed Docs with intense interest, hoping that in some fucked up way he came off as somewhat cool. When Hazelnut Latte Guy didn’t respond, Karl thought he overstepped, until he heard a soft, low chuckle escape the other’s mouth. He looked up to see Hazelnut Latte Guy shaking his head and smiling at Karl. 

“Alright then… Karl. We’ll call it interest. When are you working next?” He said, and Karl did mental somersaults at the question alone. 

“Uh, tomorrow. Afternoon shift. Two to close. Why?” Karl asked, Wilbur’s music drowning out his own thoughts as he tried to comprehend what was happening, if this was actually a serious moment, if this qualified as some weird, definitely not allowed flirting from Karl’s side of the counter. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Hazelnut Latte Guy said, backing away from the counter. His friends opened the door and stepped out. Hazelnut Latte Guy took a look at Wilbur on the stage and nodded towards him. “Tell your friend he’s really good.” 

Karl didn’t even say anything, just watched Hazelnut Latte Guy nod once, and leave, trailing after his friends as they left the store, then walked out of view of the big store windows. 

\--

Rule number one of working in a coffee shop was don’t fall in love with the regulars. 

Okay, maybe it wasn’t, maybe Karl just made that up, but it felt like something that should be in an official handbook somewhere. “Falling in love with regulars is not professional and will likely get you fired, because then you cannot stop thinking about them and constantly mess up drinks while thinking about them and their order.” 

“That’s the fifth drink you’ve messed up,” Wilbur commented, as Karl handed back a latte to a teenage girl who smiled graciously, leaving. Karl had remade her caramel latte, because he had accidentally added hazelnut in it. Wonder why. 

Karl just groaned, dropping down to sit on the floor behind the counter. He rested his head against the cabinets, and stared up at Wilbur in pain. “He’s ruining me. I had a legacy of not messing up drinks. I never mess up drinks. And now all I can think about is fucking hazelnut!” 

Wilbur chuckled, wiping down the counter above him. He leaned over Karl to get the counter directly above his head, then dropped the dirty towel onto Karl’s head, which Karl ignored. “You got a little crush.” 

Karl groaned again. “Of course I fall for a regular. Of course it’s me falling for customers. You might as well just tell Phil to fire me. I’ll live on the streets, sad, and in love with someone who probably doesn’t even know my name.” 

“Do you know his name?” Wilbur asked back, watching the boy mope on the ground. 

“I like to think of him as Hazelnut Latte Guy, because then it’s like a romcom with nicknames and funny inside jokes and everything,” Karl said, remembering vaguely that he apparently already had a weird nickname, if he went off the brief idea that his friend had a weird nickname, so he could too. He couldn’t remember what it was though. Snapchat? Wilbur laughed, and patted Karl’s head before taking the towel back. Karl stared up at him with sad eyes and furrowed brows. “Say it. I’m fucked.” 

“You’re fucked,” Wilbur said back serenely, and Karl dropped his head back to rest against the counter, eyes sliding shut. 

\--

“Woah.” 

Hazelnut Latte Guy looked up at Karl with confusion, and Karl flushed, embarrassed, before gesturing to his computer screen. 

“That’s really cool. Did you, like, animate that?” Karl asked, the little pixelated guy on his screen jumping around, as if dancing. 

“Yeah, I coded it in. He’s supposed to be dancing,” Hazelnut Latte Guy said, pulling out an earbud, holding it out. “Listen.” 

Karl practically froze, staring at the earbud. Sharing earbuds was intimate, he could understand that much. Think Jim and Pam in season one of the Office, other examples Karl couldn’t think about because his brain was flatlining. 

He took the earbud, and put it in, having to lean in close for the earbuds to reach. Who still has wire earbuds in 2020? Really? 

He watched the little pixels dance around to some song he didn’t recognize, and could smell Hazelnut Latte Guy’s cologne, he was so close to him. He wondered, blankly, if he smelled nice as well. Did he remember to put on deodorant that morning? Karl began to slowly freak out, before the little pixelated guy stopped, screen freezing. He straightened up quickly, earbud being pulled from his ear as he did. 

“That was cool,” Karl said, and Hazelnut Latte Guy smiled warmly. “I like, the, uh… I liked it.” 

That got him to chuckle. Karl didn’t know why, but he smiled and laughed at Karl’s response. “I have to do the whole song, that’s the only part I’ve gotten done.” 

“Well, it’s good so far. Is this what you’ve been doing all day?” Karl asked, and Hazelnut Latte Guy nodded. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty time consuming. Why, you want me gone?” 

Karl shook his head, immediately, definitely too quickly to be casual. He hoped his nervousness wasn’t radiating off of him, but he was pretty sure it was. The door chimed as someone came in, and behind him he heard Quackity welcome them into the store from behind the counter. He needed to go back to work. He had just been wiping off a table, after Niki had left with a wave minutes before. “No.” 

Hazelnut Latte Guy had something flash in his eyes, something that Karl didn’t exactly recognize, but watched him then look down at his lap with a soft smile on his lips. “Good. I kinda like it here. What with all the free drinks I seem to be getting.” 

Karl flushed again. He had made the drink without Hazelnut Latte Guy even ordering today, right when he walked in, Karl had begun making it. He didn’t do that for other regulars, though Hazelnut Latte Guy didn’t need to know that. “Well, we like to keep regulars happy, here. It’s—” 

“An investment,” Hazelnut Latte Guy said, nodding with a grin. 

“An investment,” Karl repeated. He glanced behind him, seeing Quackity taking the order of the person. “I gotta get… back to work.” 

“Me too.” Hazelnut Latte Guy nodded to the computer. “I’ll make sure to show you when I’m done.” 

“Good. I look… I look forward to it. Want a refill?” He gestured to the cup, and Hazelnut Latte Guy smiled, handing over the ceramic mug, and Karl hightailed it back to behind the counter, busying himself with making drinks, while trying to ignore the feeling that Hazelnut Latte Guy was watching him. 

\--

“You’re gonna have to explain the name to me,” Karl said, handing over a coffee cup with the usual latte inside. Hazelnut Latte Guy - Sapnap, not Snapchat - chuckled, taking the drink and swirling it around. 

“It’s… weird. When I was younger, my favorite animal was a panda, so my friend Dream, you remember Dream?” 

“Bright green sweatshirt?” Karl shot, and Sapnap nodded, smiling. 

“Yeah, him. He started calling me Pandas back in, like, third grade. One of the teachers thought he was making fun of me, calling me fat or whatever, and told him he couldn’t call me that anymore, so he started calling me Sapnap, since it’s Pandas backwards.” 

Karl nodded, thinking for a second, before shaking his head immediately after. “No it isn’t.” 

“No, it isn’t,” Sapnap agreed, chuckling a bit. “But I never had the heart to correct him. He realized in middle school, and was really upset about it. But the nickname never faded. I like Sapnap more than Sadnap anyway, so it’s alright.” 

Karl nodded along, smiling. “That’s cool, that you guys are still really close. Is he in school too?” 

“Yeah, he is. A year ahead of me, though, he skipped a grade in middle school.” 

The door jingled, signalling someone walking in. Sapnap wasn’t staying - he had gotten a to go cup today, and smiled when he saw someone else come in. Karl hurried to say, “You should bring him around sometime.” 

Sapnap nodded, sipping his coffee. “Yeah, he said he’s been meaning to come back. Says you make a mean cup of coffee. I would have to agree.” 

And with that, he held up his cup as a goodbye, before turning to walk out the door. Karl watched him for only a second, before turning to the person who walked in, a middle aged lady in a puffy jacket. “Hi! What can I get started for you today?” 

The door jingled as Sapnap left. 

\--

“Mornin’, Q,” Karl called as he opened the door, bell jingling above him. The winter air from outside sent a chill into him as he stepped into the warmth of the shop, breathing in the scent of coffee happily. He began to shrug off his coat, glancing at the patrons in the shop. Niki smiled at him from the bar stool seat that looked out the windows next to the door, and Karl smiled back happily.

“You aren’t scheduled this morning,” Quackity said as he approached the counter. There was soft Christmas music playing in the background, and it made Karl want to curl up with a hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies. He loved Christmas time, loved wintery weather (despite how red his cheeks got from the cold), loved basically everything about the holidays. The coffeeshop, especially, with the little holiday decorations and Christmassy drinks they promoted, always excited Karl a lot, and this year it felt even more special. Maybe it was the fact that one of their festive drinks was hazelnut, or maybe it was the fact that he was hoping that the holiday cheer would bring him newfound confidence, and that after two months of floundering around Sapnap he could actually get his act together and do something about the little dance they’ve seemingly been doing. 

Karl never assumed anything about people’s feelings. He usually assumed everyone disliked him until blatantly told otherwise, and even a bit after that. It was easier that way - not getting his hopes up for something (or someone) to then disappoint him. 

But with Sapnap it was different. He was sure of it. Whether it was the way Sapnap looked at him, Karl catching him staring when he was behind the counter, always sharing his projects for school with him, or what, Karl could just tell there was something different about him and their game that they were playing. 

“Switched shifts with Wilbur. Techno is coming back into town this afternoon, and Will wanted to be there when he got home,” Karl said, shedding his jacket fully, and walking towards the backroom to put his things away. He was working until close, so he brought a book to keep himself distracted during the expected lows of the day. 

“I haven’t seen Techno since the very start of summer. Is he picking up shifts while he’s home?” Quackity asked when Karl stepped back out into the main room, tying his apron around his waist, shrugging. 

“I don’t think so, but he will probably pop in to say hello,” Karl said, clapping his hands together softly. “You want me making drinks or on register?” 

“Can you make drinks? My head is pounding, I barely could get Niki’s drink right, and she’s the easiest of all our regulars,” Quackity said, and Niki, at the bar, turned half around. 

“It’s great, as usual, Alex!” She called happily, and Quackity waved her off with a half-smile. 

“I’m fine with making drinks. We been busy?” 

Karl half-listened as Quackity told a tale of a guy who yelled at him that morning as he cleaned off one of the machines for no reason except having something to do as he listened. The Christmas music in the background made him tap his foot joyfully, humming as Quackity then changed the subject to his upcoming finals and how fucked he was for a few of his classes, while Karl nodded along, barely catching any of the names of the classes, nevertheless the content that he still needed to go over. All Karl heard was “big fancy lawyer! Big fancy lawyer!” on repeat as he talked.

“Can you hold down the fort? I’m gonna go pop some Avdil like it’s… which drug is pills again?” Quackity asked, peeling himself away from the counter he so lovingly draped himself over as he talked to Karl. 

“I don’t make an effort to remember drugs, Big Q,” Karl said, and Quackity raised an eyebrow at him. 

“You can’t remember which drugs are pills?” 

“You can’t either!” Karl said, giggling, and Quackity waved him off, slowly stumbling towards the backroom. 

“I’m dying here,” he said, disappearing. Karl giggled more to himself, and went to wipe down the counter where he had been laying when the door chimed to signal someone coming in. 

“Sapnap!” He said happily, and Sapnap grinned, a bit self consciously, leading his friend into the store. Karl saw Niki glance up at him from her seat, offering a tiny smile. “And… shit, don’t tell me… Dream, right?” 

“You’re good with names,” Dream said, smiling, as they walked up to the counter. 

“Sapnap talks about you a lot,” Karl said, and Dream looked over at Sapnap, who grimaced, shaking his head quickly, as if denying it. Dream grinned, and slung his arm across Sapnap’s shoulders, making him hunch in just a bit. Karl would’ve guessed that Sapnap wasn’t a touchy-feely kinda guy, but he looked comfortable enough with Dream leaning on him. Maybe it was since they have known each other for a long time, that he was. 

“And he talks about you, if your nametag is correct and you are Karl the barista.” 

“I just may be Karl the barista,” Karl said, smiling more to Sapnap than Dream, the former of which rolled his eyes and playfully stuck out his tongue, face pink and getting deeper by the second. Something in Karl’s chest stirred as he realized that maybe it was him making Sapnap’s face heat up. Or, at least, the concept of Sapnap talking about Karl. 

Which was a whole other thing. Sapnap apparently talked about him. To his best friend. Frequently enough for Dream to actually remember his name. 

Karl’s hands suddenly felt really clammy. 

“Can I get you guys something to drink?” Karl said, and Dream glanced up at the menu above Karl’s head. 

“Uh… what do you recommend? Something Christmassy,” Dream said, leaning on the counter. 

“Our peppermint mocha is pretty good, if you like minty drinks. I think it tastes like toothpaste, but whatever floats your boat,” Karl said, and Dream and Sapnap both chuckled lightly. Behind Karl, he could hear the backroom door creaking open, Quackity coming back to the front. “Our white chocolate is great, and we add these sprinkle-crumble things to it, I dunno what it’s called, but it’s really good, in my opinion. And our hazelnut latte is…” 

“The best coffee I’ve ever drank,” Sapnap interrupted, and Quackity patted Karl’s head as he passed by, ruffling his hair. Karl swatted him away, mind stalling due to the compliment. “What’s the difference between my regular drink and the toasted hazelnut?” 

“Well, the toasted has the crumbly thing on top too. Besides that, there’s no difference. It’s really just your drink,” Karl said, chest feeling light as they both refer to it as “Sapnap’s drink”. Sapnap smiled as Karl talked, leaning down on one elbow against the counter. 

“Well, I will stick with my classic. Unless the crumbly thing on top is just that good that I have to try it,” Sapnap said easily, and Karl thought back to when they had first “met”, or when he first came into the store, how different Karl had read him then compared to who he was to Karl now. He saw him as a somewhat rude, typical college kid that barely knew how to live without caffeine. Now, with his extensive knowledge of who Sapnap is from watching him sit in a booth for hours on end, clicking away on his computer, he knew (or liked to think that he knew) the other - his passion for his schoolwork, soft chuckles to loud laughs, and rants about coding and his friends that Karl could (and probably has) listened to for hours. 

Except he still didn’t know anything about Sapnap, besides his coding and his name and his coffee order. He didn’t know his last name, or how many siblings he had, or his favorite color (he presumed it was red, based on the amount of red sweatshirts he seemed to own, but one could never be too careful about presuming someone’s favorite color). Karl wasn’t sure how exactly he was supposed to breach that, how he was supposed to go from being “Karl the barista” to “Karl”. 

“It’s really not. It’s like a direct copy off of Starbucks. It adds nothing to the drink, and isn’t worth the extra dollar,” Karl said honestly, and both boys across the counter chuckled lightly again. Quackity, now at the other end of the counter, chuckled along as well. 

“Then just my regular,” Sapnap said, and Karl punched it in without much thought. He then looked to Dream, who squinted at the sign, twisting his lips in thought. 

“Uh… you know what, I want to try the weird crumbly things on top,” Dream said, and Sapnap looked up at him in annoyance. “So the hazelnut… toasted… whatever. Same size as Sap.” 

“He just said it’s an extra dollar,” Sapnap said, and Dream shrugged, pulling out his wallet. 

“I want to try it,” was all he said, handing over a twenty to cover both drinks. Karl handed back change with a smile. 

“They’ll be at the end of the counter in a little bit.” 

They went towards the end of the counter, and Karl watched Quackity start to make the drinks. Karl grabbed a rag to mindlessly wipe down a table that he knew wasn’t even dirty, but just to give his hands something to do. He stepped around the counter, rag in hand, and Sapnap looked over at him. “I can’t believe you didn’t ask how my finals went.” 

Karl looked up in surprise. “You already had them?” 

“Yeah, most of my classes were early finals. I have one left on Monday, then I head home for the holidays,” Sapnap said, and Karl saw Dream behind him pull out his phone, very obviously paying attention to their conversation. Karl didn’t care, however, caught up on Sapnap’s wording. 

“Home?” He questioned, and suddenly, Sapnap looked really sheepish. 

“Back to Texas. Until January thirteenth,” he said, and Karl may not know Sapnap’s favorite color, or if he has any siblings, or even his last name, but damn does he know what sadness looks like on the guy’s face. 

\--

“Should’ve asked for his number,” Quackity said, as the door shut behind them. Karl slid to the ground with a groan, back pressed against the cabinets under the counter. 

“Can’t. It’s probably, like, illegal or something,” Karl mumbled, slumping down even further. Quackity sighed, and dropped himself to the floor with Karl, leaning his head against Karl’s shoulder. 

“You can’t let him leave for a month without his number, Jacobs.” 

“He’s gonna forget me,” Karl mumbled, and Quackity shook his head, as best he could from leaning his head on Karl’s shoulder. 

“No. But I think it’d break both of your hearts if you couldn’t talk to each other at least every few days,” Quackity said softly, the Christmas music, upbeat and happy, mocking Karl from the speakers above. 

“He probably doesn’t even like me,” Karl sighed. 

“Oh come on. He looks at you…” Quackity stopped, taking a minute to think. “He looks at you like you are the one thing keeping him alive, sometimes.” 

“Well, that’s because he’s a college student, and likely dependent on caffeine,” Karl said, and Quackity snorted, shoving his shoulder playfully. 

“Maybe. But I doubt it. No one would pay as much as he does for coffee here just for caffeine. Especially a college student.” 

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I give him, like, half his drinks for free,” Karl said, and Quackity started to laugh again, warming Karl’s heart, just a little bit. 

\--

“I leave tomorrow.” 

Karl looked up from the register, seeing Sapnap standing a few paces away. He had his normal backpack, as well as his winter coat, and gloves on. It had snowed the night before, but barely enough to stick, but enough to make everyone freeze their fingers off. “Oh.” 

“Just thought I’d… let you know,” Sapnap said, stepping closer. In a booth in the corner, Niki was sitting, chatting to Wilbur, who was also working. Quackity had his finals all this week, so he wasn’t working, as well as the rest of the workers, so it was really just Karl and Wilbur for the entirety of the week. It was only Monday afternoon, and Karl already dreaded working finals week at the coffee shop. College kids could be mean if they didn’t have caffeine or study ethics in them.

“What am I gonna do without my…” Karl almost said ‘favorite customer’ but stopped at the last minute, before wondering why. It was pretty obvious, if he really thought about it, that Sapnap was his favorite. The amount of free drinks he gave him couldn’t be counted on two hands. He would go out of his way to talk to him when he was in the shop, always brought him refills without him even asking. That seemed pretty obvious to himself, so why wouldn’t it be to Sapnap? “...without my favorite customer?” 

Sapnap flushed, grinning a bit, shoving his hand into his coat pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper, holding it in his hands awkwardly. 

“Uh… I wanted…” He then held it out awkwardly between them. Karl eyed it. 

“We don’t take checks here,” Karl said, dumbly, and Sapnap chuckled. 

“That’s not it, idiot.” Sapnap set the paper down on the counter instead, pushing it forward. “It’s my number. You don’t… you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but… well, I guess I kinda like you? And when I came in with Dream a few days ago, he told me to ask you out, but I was too nervous, and you probably don’t even like me, plus that’s, like, super weird, to ask your barista on a date, right? So I chickened out, but I don’t want to fly back to Texas without doing anything, because I am going insane, so I thought…” 

Sapnap cleared his throat, watching Karl, who was just staring adamantly at the folded up piece of paper between them. White, a bit crinkly , ripped around the edges like it was a piece of printer paper torn to pieces. He could barely see the pen through the paper, pressure of the pen making indents on the back - Karl could make out a 6. 

“You don’t have to take it, if you don’t want to. Trust me, I won’t be, like, offended or anything. I don’t even know if you like guys, but I saw your pin, and sorta assumed, which sucks ass, but whatever. You can just throw it away, and when I get back, we won’t talk about it, and I won’t, like, stop coming either way, so don’t feel obligated or anything to take it, I just wanted—” 

Karl snatched up the piece of paper, slipping it into his apron pocket on his breast. Sapnap watched, wide-eyed, mouth slightly open. Karl grinned at him. “What can I get you to drink?” 

“You don’t have to, Karl, seriously—” Sapnap began. 

“I didn’t want to ask you. I figured it was breaking some sorta boundaries… barista, customer, you know.” He gestured between them. “I am gonna assume there are no rules going the other way though.” 

“Oh,” Sapnap said fluently, glancing up from Karl’s pocket to his face, realization crossing his face, lighting it up. “Oh!” 

“So what can I get you today?” Karl asked happily. The coffee shop was warm, and he wondered what color sweatshirt was under Sapnap’s coat - probably red. 

“What do you recommend?” Sapnap asked back, grin spreading across his face like a warm hug, reaching his eyes and cheeks, and ears. It felt powerful - like Karl couldn’t help but grin back. Which he did, happily. 

“I hear the hazelnut latte with oat milk is good,” Karl said, punching it in. 

“Sounds amazing.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! if you want to follow me, reach out on Tumblr - @sunshinesapnap  
> this probably seems a liitle ooc for everyone involved, but in my defense i wrote it over the course of, like, a month because i lowkey forgot about it halfway through, but i figured i should push through and publish anyway!!! i want to write more karlnap because i always have so much fun with them, but i barely have any ideas so if anyone wants to leave any ideas, feel free!!!  
> again thank you so much for reading i appreciate all of you sm <3


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